Named in this Barron’s piece about thematic funds and etfs which are more than 50% off their recent highs:
Symbol Description
$QCLN Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund
$BOTZ Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF
$IVEG iShares Emergent Food & AgTech Multisector ETF
$IBLC iShares Blockchain and Tech ETF
$SUPL Supply Chain Logistics ETF
$QTUM Defiance Quantum ETF
https://www.barrons.com/advisor/articles/thematic-etfs-slump…
Make no mistake, the thematic category remains small yet is poised for yet more attention from ETF sponsors as new funds are launched at a steady cadence. This past week, the iShares division of BlackRock , which aims to be a major player in thematic investing, launched a pair of new funds: The iShares Emergent Food and AgTech Multisector ETF (IVEG) and the iShares Blockchain and Tech ETF (IBLC). In mid-March, ProShares launched the Metaverse ETF (VERS) and in April, the Supply Chain Logistics ETF (SUPL), the latest addition to its suite of thematic funds.
Armando Senra, head of iShares Americas, spoke at a recent investment breakfast and said his firm is “just now scratching the surface,” when it comes to thematic fund launches. He notes that such funds still only account for 3% of all ETF industry assets. He added that “we’re in the midst of some of the most rapid changes in history,” citing an “industrial renaissance,” “healthcare transformation,” and what his firm calls the “new consumer.”
Those themes were explored in a research paper that BlackRock compiled regarding emerging new megatrends that are expected to span across sectors. For example, one of the new funds (IVEG) was launched in response to profound changes in global agriculture. “Food security is emerging as a clear challenge for societies, and is also becoming an investable theme,” said Gargi Pal Chaudhuri, head of iShares Investment Strategy Americas. As one example, Indonesia has announced an export ban on palm oil, a key cooking ingredient, setting off a chain reaction in global prices and reconfigured supply chains.
p.s. Charts to follow after I’ve laid them out on Twitter.